We stayed in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam longer than planned. Mia’s passport had to be renewed and we stayed two days more for that cause.
I franky enjoyed our time in this city. I generally like big cities to explore, especially those which offer a bright mix of history and modern culture. Narrow tall houses, a lot of traffic, street food, delicious coffee, friendly people, colorful markets, modern malls, temples and pagodas – there is so much to experience in Ho Chi Minh City.
Coffee in Saigon is amazing! We didn’t have any problems finding a good one.
With the breakfast is was different. In the coffee shops there was breakfast, but not the one Western people are used to. We have once found fried eggs with baguette and were content with that. In the other coffee place the baguette wad filled with the filling we could not define and the cashiers couldn’t help us because they didn’t speak English.
What should you not miss when you spend couple of days in Ho Chi Minh City:
1.Saigon book street sells books, bookmarks, postcards in all shapes and colors.
2.Note Dame cathedral (unfortunately, it was under reconstruction when we were there, so here it’s model from a media supermarket).
3.Central post office is worth dropping by. Inside, beautiful silver jewelry is showcased.
4.Opera house
5.People’s office and a spacious park in front of it.
6.Skydeck at Bitexco tower offers a 360° view of the city. The entrance fee is 8 Euro pp. http://www.bitexcofinancialtower.com/?page_id=1420
7.Ben-Thanh market is the place you should go if you want to try local food as well as buy some local products and marvel at the fruit, seafood and sweets of all types and sizes.
8.Embankment of the Song Sai Gon river is a place where locals are going for walk or doing sports.
9.Waterbus river cruise is a nice idea if you are tired from walking around the city and want to rest for 50 minutes. We recommend to take a return ticket, as the final stop of the cruise is not a tourist area. If you want to see the life im the suburbs, you are welcome to get off there.
10.Cu chi tunnels is a full day trip, as they are located 2 hours drive (ca. 70 km) from the city. These tunnels is the place where the people of Cu Chi region were living and fighting against the US in the 60s and 70s. You can visit the tunnels only with a guide. The entrance fee is about 5 Euro. You can even descent into 4-5 tunnels. However, if you suffer from asthma, cardiovascular diseases or claustrophobia, it is not recommended to go inside.
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